


Five Ways to Show Someone You Love Them, or, Will Cooper Has No Idea He's in Love With Angie D'Amato

by jell_0_shot



Category: Single Parents (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23392810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jell_0_shot/pseuds/jell_0_shot
Summary: a ridiculous title but basically i googled an article about how to show someone you love them because !!!! Will does that constantly and also i'm having lots of feeling about the show and this ship and like also we're on lockdown so i'm putting this down to coping mechanisms babyi've only written for parks & rec previously so pls go easy on me and hopefully enjoy!!p.s. i think i successfully kept in line with canon and timelines of gfs/bfs etc, fingers crossed
Relationships: Will Cooper/Angie D'Amato
Comments: 19
Kudos: 57





	Five Ways to Show Someone You Love Them, or, Will Cooper Has No Idea He's in Love With Angie D'Amato

one, spend quality time with them

Will Cooper had no idea he was in love with Angie D’Amato. 

Which was ridiculous, really, because he knew that his chest lifted in a very certain way whenever she found a reason to place her hand on his arm; he knew that even when she was at her most frustrating, he still wanted to wrap his arms around her and laugh; and he knew that no matter what, he’d do anything for her. He knew all of that. He just didn’t _know_ yet. 

For the first time in a long time, Will had a Friday night completely to himself. Sophie was at Poppy’s for a sleepover with Rory, there was no work immediately demanding his attention, and things had cooled off with Monica last week. He was even on top of the housework. He’d made himself a _very_ cheesy lasagna and settled into the couch with enough beer near him that he wouldn’t need to move for at least a few hours. Nothing and no one could ruin the solo night he had planned. 

Then his phone rang. 

And he picked up because it was Angie. 

“What are you doing right now?” She said, breezing straight past his cheerful greeting. 

Will looked at the sight in front of him: beer, snacks, an episode of Joust queued up to play on the television. He would never admit this to Angie, but sometimes he re-watched episodes after they had watched them together. And he would never admit to himself that it was always the episodes where she’d sat a little bit too close to him, and he’d missed half the plot because of that. “Nothing much.” 

“Rory invited Graham to the sleepover and he wanted to go despite the fact that I had a wonderful evening planned where Graham watched Shrek, _again_ , and I finished a bottle of wine in the corner.” 

“Shrek really is a timeless classic.” He mused. 

“Not the point, Cooper.” 

“Sorry.” He hesitated, “What was the point?” 

“That I’m bored, Wiiiill.” She drew out his name, as if begging him to do something about it. 

Will pondered the quiet night in solitude he had planned for one second, and then he made his mind up. Joust could wait. Beer could wait. He stood up, trying to figure out what to do first. “I’m just going to put my lasagna in the fridge.” 

“Yeah, dude, whatever. Just hurry up and get out here.” 

“Get out where?” He asked, wondering why _she_ was getting frustrated with _him_. 

He heard a car horn beep in three quick bursts, the sound carrying from his driveway and also echoing through the phone. She was already outside. He ended the call, dropping the phone onto the couch and rushing to clean up. It only took him three minutes and then he was grabbing his jacket and locking the door. 

Angie was in the driver's seat bobbing her head aggressively. He walked over to the car and tapped on her window, which she wound down. 

“I’ll only get in the car if you turn that off.” He basically had to shout to be heard over the screams and bass. Angie didn’t say anything – just stared at him, stubbornly, while the heavy metal swirled around her and now him. “Down, at least.” He pleaded. 

She smirked a little, turned the music down a few notches, and lent across the car to open the passenger door. He hopped in the car and let her take him wherever she was headed, which turned out to be the arcade. 

At first Will had teased her about it, but then he realised that she took arcade games _very_ seriously. 

“I’m not allowed to bring Graham here anymore.” She told him after their third aggressive game of air hockey. 

Will ran a hand through his hair, out of breath, and very sarcastically whispered, “I can’t imagine why.” 

“The last time we were here, I made him cry. I figured it would be safe to bring you.” 

Angie had found a bench and he fell down next to her, “There is definitely still time for tears.” 

She laughed and then asked him to win her a claw machine plush, which he did mostly because he was scared of what would happen if he didn’t. When he finally came back with a fuzzy turtle in his hand, she’d jumped up and exclaimed how much Graham loved turtles. 

Once Angie had tired herself out, they wandered down the street until they found a pizza place and Will bought Angie a slice even though she said she didn’t want any because he knew she’d be stealing half of his if he didn’t. 

“This pizza is really good.” 

Will nodded, trying not to laugh at how well he knew her. They were sitting on the curb, their legs blocking the top of a parking space. 

“Hey Will?” 

“Hmm?” He mumbled, wiping his hands on his jeans as he finished off his last bite. 

“Thanks for hanging out with me tonight.” 

He looked at her, surprised by the earnestness in her voice. He wondered if maybe she was just as curious about her tone because she didn’t meet his eyes. 

“Of course.” 

Because of course. 

* * *

two, do something you know they love even if you're not a fan

When Will had gotten her two tickets to see Vulture for her birthday, he had assumed she would be taking one of her heavy metal friends with her. No other option had crossed his mind, which is why he balked a little the day before the concert when Angie had asked if he’d sorted out babysitting for Sophie yet, and then thrown up the sign of the horns -- both hands. 

He managed to recover quickly and nod his head furiously, “Mhmm. Yes. Of course. I can’t wait to rock out with you and the other... metal people.” 

Angie scrunched her nose at him, “You’re going to be, like, cool, right?” 

Will chuckled, “Absolutely. Are you kidding me?” 

She gave him a weary look but it was also warm. She called out for Graham to let him know they were leaving and then turned back to Will. “Thanks for looking after him this afternoon.” And then she punched him, jokingly, and said, “See you tomorrow night.” 

Will tried to do the rock hand signal thing to match her energy. 

Sophie stood next to him in the doorframe as they waved goodbye to their friends. “You’re going to the concert with her, aren’t you?” 

“I thought she’d have a heavy metal friend she could take. Or at least Owen.” He shut the door as Angie’s car disappeared around the corner and turned to his daughter, clocking the expression on her face. “Don’t say it.” 

“I told you so.” She had told him so – when he bought the tickets, she had set him with a stern look and told him he would absolutely be roped into going. 

“It’s not my fault – she seemed so excited and I didn’t want to ruin that.” He threw his hands up in surrender, and Sophie rolled her eyes playfully. 

“I’ll go and call Nana.” 

There was a moment, the next night, as Will pulled into Angie’s driveway, that he let himself think about how much this felt like a date. He had dropped Sophie off at her Nana’s in the afternoon, spent longer than usual getting ready because he was trying to nail the ‘cool’ look Angie had requested, and now here he was, knocking on her front door, picking her up at 8. 

He buried the thought quickly and just in time, as Angie threw open the door in a rush. She was wearing ripped jeans, a loose black top and more make up than usual. She looked beautiful, of course, and she always did. And that was a totally normal thing to notice about your friend. All the time. 

“Hey.” She sounded out of breath, like maybe she’d spent far too long on the couch watching the Dr. Phil episodes that he knew she secretly recorded and then had to hurry to get ready. 

“Ready to hit the road?” 

She grabbed her bag and nodded, and then talked the whole way there, telling him about her old metal days and all the concerts she snuck into as a teen. 

“God, you were so cool as a teen. I was too busy trying to monitor weather patterns to even know what heavy metal was.” 

“Yeah, that doesn’t shock me in the slightest, dude. We definitely wouldn’t have been friends.” 

She laughed in a light way, and Will nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. It didn’t hurt, per se, and it _was_ true. But for some reason he didn’t love hearing it, out loud. 

“But I'm glad we are now.” She spoke a little softer, as if she’d picked up on his sort-of-sad vibe. 

He smiled, “Me too.” 

The concert was fun despite him hating every second that the band were playing. He let Angie teach him how to ‘headbang’ properly just because he loved the way her face lit up when he tried it. She laughed at him and he laughed too, because he _did_ look ridiculous, and then they caught each other's eyes for longer than they usually would. They danced and drank beer and sometimes he would just scream along with the band because no one could hear him anyway and it felt good to. 

The car ride home was electric and Angie was literally buzzing all the way down to her bones. When he pulled into her driveway, she faced him square-on and thanked him. “I know you’re not much of a metal fan, but it means a lot that you came tonight.” She kissed him on the cheek, like it was nothing, and yelled a casual, “Night!” over her shoulder as she got out of the car. 

He waited until she was inside before he started the engine and drove back to his. He did hate the music - she was right about that - but he could pretend to like it for her. The spot on his cheek where her lips had grazed burned a little, but he ignored it. 

He was very good at ignoring it. 

* * *

three, take a walk together

They hadn’t done this in a while. 

Douglas and Poppy had been busy with Rory and the twins’ presidential stuff at school, Will was seeing someone new, and Angie... well, Will didn’t actually know what Angie had been up to. After he’d told her that he and Tracy were seeing each other, she’d pulled back a little bit. And Miggy -- Miggy was Miggy. 

And yet, here they all were. Douglas and Poppy and Miggy and Angie and him. The kids had already exhausted themselves on sugar and fallen asleep on bunk beds and air mattresses. The adults had sat around laughing and drinking wine until Miggy fell asleep too, and Douglas had taken Poppy to his study to find some ‘real alcohol’. That left him and Angie, sitting across from each other and both a little bit tipsy. 

“Tonight was really nice. I’ve missed this.” 

Angie looked at him and said, “Oh, don’t go all soft on me Will,” but her delivery was weak and the usual cheek behind her words was absent. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, I think I’m just tired.” She wasn’t tired though. Not at all. 

Will looked at Miggy sleeping peacefully next to him. Douglas and Poppy had already been gone for ten minutes with no sign of returning any time soon. “You wanna go for a walk?” 

“Now? It’s dark outside.” 

Angie’s depleted answer made him want to go even more. She seemed like she needed cheering up, and that was usually his job. Or at least, he was good at it. “The fresh air will be good for us.” 

Suddenly, a wonderful and ridiculous idea popped into Will’s head. He told Angie to bring some wine and meet him out the back. She let out a gasp when she did as she was told and was met with Will, leaning against Douglas’ golf cart in a way he hoped was charming and suave. But a silly, friendly charming and suave. 

“Oh my god,” was all she could get out. 

He knew this was a little bit reckless – Douglas was quite precious about his golfing equipment – and someone awake and present should probably stick around in case one of the kids woke up, but he just needed to make her happy. 

He leant into corny and held out his hand, which she took, and he helped her climb into the passenger side of the cart. He ran around to the other side and smiled as she called him a dork and held on tight because he was driving like an idiot. Not on purpose – he’d just never driven a golf cart before and the ground was uneven. 

They drove all over the course, pointing out possums and making fun of all the kinds of people who played golf. When they found themselves at the 18th hole, they clambered out of the cart and Will realised that Angie had been drinking the wine while he was driving. 

He stole the half-drunken bottle off her, “Not fair.” 

“You snooze, you lose, buddy.” 

“You drive, you lose, apparently.” He replied and they started a sort of slow, clumsy walk under the stars. Neither of them said anything for a while, until - 

“Have things been a bit weird between us recently?” 

Her voice was wobbly and Will had never heard her sound so vulnerable before. Not about something that pertained to the two of them, at least. Whenever she said something even verging on vulnerable it would be followed up by a witty remark or soft jab at his expense. He understood though – there was a line that neither of them would cross and talking about their relationship and what it meant and how they felt about all the things they never said was definitely over it. Acknowledging that things had been weird implied there was a reason for that, and a not-weird place that they used to be in before, and that Angie and Will didn’t know how to live without the other in their lives completely, and all the time. 

“A little bit, yeah.” He passed the bottle back to her which she took gladly. 

They fell into a silence again and it lasted for a long time. They walked side-by-side, passing the bottle back and forth until it was empty, always keeping the golf cart in sight. Will wondered what it would be like to hold her hand in a moment like this where it was just them and the wind and the stars, and if the wind and the stars would tell anyone about it. 

They did a sort of loop and ended up back at the golf cart. Will didn’t want to go back yet – he hadn’t managed to cheer Angie up and had somehow gotten himself in a funk, too. “Should we hit some balls?” 

“Is that your impression of a person who plays golf?” She laughed. 

Laughing. That was good. He kept going with the bit, “Angie. Come on - you know I’m a professional golfer. Douglas and I hit the course all the time.” 

“I have never seen you hold a golf club once.” 

He picked one up from the back of the cart and swung it onto his shoulder, using his other hand to pretend to look out at the grass. “Conditions are perfect for a hole-in-one.” 

Angie rolled her eyes at him but he could tell she was enjoying herself. She grabbed her own club and said, “First one to get it in the hole, wins.” 

Will gasped, faux scandalised, “D’Amato, are you flirting with me?” 

“Shut _up_ , you dork.” She pushed him, playfully, and rummaged around for a golf ball. 

Their competition went on forever because _both_ of them had never really played golf before, and they lost at least seven balls in the process. Will knew he was going to hear an earful from Douglas tomorrow when he realised what they’d done, but he felt like maybe it was worth it. 

Angie finally landed the ball in the hole and she raised her golf club above her head, turning around to gloat and the smile on her face as she did confirmed it for him. 

It was absolutely, definitely worth it. 

* * *

four, simple but meaningful gift

It wasn’t until he’d already knocked that he realised that the day after Valentine’s Day was far too close to actual Valentine’s Day to be knocking on her door with a present in his arms. 

He was trying to quietly and quickly back away when she opened the door and said his name in a surprised but happy tone. 

“Hi, Angie.” Dammit. 

“Everything okay?” 

He saw her eyes drift down to his hands where he was clutching the gift for her. He’d wrapped it in a rush – he’d decided to do this whole thing sort of all at once. He’d thought it would be a nice gesture – an olive branch after their best-friend separation. But now that he was here and actually about to give it to her, it felt like too much. 

“Did you get me a present?” She sounded excited. 

“No. No, this is for Graham.” 

“Oh.” She looked inside house, wondering if she should call out for him. 

And then he realised it would be even weirder if he gave this gift to Graham. “I mean, no. Sorry. It’s for you.” 

She took it out of his outstretched arm and cocked her head, confused at how he was acting. She was probably wondering why he was being so weird when they’d _just_ worked everything out between them, best-friend-wise. “Do you want to come in?” 

He wasn’t due to pick Sophie up from her friend’s house for another hour but for some reason his fight or flight had kicked in, and flight was definitely winning. “I would, but I have to get some things from the supermarket before I get Sophie.” 

Angie nodded. “So... should I open it out here, then?” 

“Oh. Yes. It’s just a little best-friend reunion gift. It’s nothing.” 

God, why couldn’t he shake this feeling? He never usually felt embarrassed by his heart-on-the-sleeve ideas or gifts. Feelings were his _thing._ He watched her unwrap it and the smile grow on her face as she realised what it was and read the plaque. He’d gotten her a trophy with an inscription that said, _Angie & Will, First Place in Pair Skiing, Lake Winnipesaukee Olympics. _

She looked up at him and there was a type of tenderness behind her eyes that he wasn’t used to. 

“For the mantel.” He said, quietly, because she still hadn’t said anything. 

She clutched it into her chest and grinned, “Thank you. Now I’ll never forget our first date.” 

He nodded, feeling calmer now that she was teasing him. That felt good. That felt normal. “Well, I better go. The supermarket calls.” 

He waved, and just as he was about to get into his car, she called out. 

“I’m glad we’re best friends again, Will.” 

He smiled at her and took a deep breath. “Me too.” 

* * *

five, small moments of affection

Sophie had just gone to bed when he heard it. 

It was his name and it sounded panicked. He ran to the door because he knew who the voice belonged to. Her hair was sort of a mess and her arms were crossed over her chest. She hadn’t been crying but it looked like she might start. 

“Angie-” 

“I don’t know why I didn’t knock. Sorry.” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“No, nothing.” She started flapping her arms as if trying to diffuse the situation. “Graham is spending the night with Derek.” 

“Oh.” Will said, understanding. Staying with Derek for the first time. 

“Yeah.” And then the tears started to fall. 

Angie didn’t really cry in front of Will very often and it took him a second to figure out what to do. She was cursing under her breath and he knew how much she must be hating this – crying in front of him. He reached out his hands and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. He wrapped them around her and let her sob onto his shoulder. He rubbed her back and didn’t say a single word. Eventually, everything went still around them and Angie took a deep breath against his arm. He loosened his hold and led her inside, pushing her gently onto the couch. 

“Stay here. Don’t move.” 

She just nodded. He hurried into the kitchen and grabbed all of the essentials – chocolate, wine, cookies, ice cream, and then a blanket on his way back into the living room. He held them all out to her as an offering. 

She picked the blanket and the ice cream. 

He sat down beside her, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Okay. Yeah.” She paused, double checking that she wasn’t about to start crying again. “I just feel very out of control. It’s always just been me and Graham. And he was so excited to be spending the night there. I feel like I’m losing a part of him.” 

Will nodded, “I feel that way sometimes when Mia pops in unexpectedly. It’s tricky adjusting to the idea that you won’t be the only adult in his life anymore.” 

Angie took a moment to consider this, and then, “Well, I haven’t been the only adult in his life for a while. Since you.” She glanced up at him briefly, as if she was nervous to be saying the words, and then continued, “But I know you won’t hurt him. I trust you. We are safe with you.” 

“You don’t think Graham is safe with Derek?” Because honestly, Will was a little worried too. 

“I mean... physically, yes. He’ll be fine. I just don’t want him to break his heart, too.” 

A tear escaped then, and Will reached out and wiped it away with his thumb. He felt her lean into the movement, like maybe she needed him tonight more than she ever had. Like maybe she needed this affection from him more than she’d ever admit out loud. 

“I really hope he doesn’t, too. And if he does – well, you’ll be here to love Graham even more than you ever thought possible.” Will said softly. 

His hand had fallen back to his lap but she was still watching it. She nodded, seeming to accept what he had said. “Can we watch something stupid on the TV?” 

Will smiled, “Absolutely. Stupid television is our specialty.” 

He put something dramatic and ridiculous on to distract her and it worked because in no time, she was hurling witty insults at the idiots on the screen. They sat there for hours, laughing, until he felt every single one of her muscles relax into his couch. Eventually, she announced that she should probably head home. 

He walked her to the door and lent in the frame as she turned to him. 

“Thank you, Will.” She closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. What she said next was quiet, just enough for him to hear but not loud enough that it had to mean anything if he didn’t want it to, “You are always here.” 

She pulled away even though it felt like she didn’t want to and suddenly everything became very, very clear to Will. 

His chest lifted like that and his heart was loud like that and he couldn’t help but smile all the time like that and he would do anything for her, like that, for a reason. And the reason was simple, really. Maybe he hadn’t known and maybe he had all along but he was too scared of her sarcasm and her walls and her strength to admit it. Maybe he let those things be excuses because he knew if he thought this, even just once, there was no going back. And if she felt the same, at all, even just a tiny bit, he’d be all in. Completely, utterly, in. 

He loved her. 

“Angie.” Her name fell out of his mouth without warning and it happened at the same time that he reached out and grabbed her hand. His hold was gentle and quiet – everything about this was quiet. So much of tonight had been quiet. He had to be quiet right now in case she wanted to scream, but even as he moved closer to her and held her gaze, she did not. 

Will was standing so close to her. It wouldn’t take much for him to do what he was wanting to, but he was giving her one last chance. One last chance to pull away or ask him what he was doing or make a noise. A single noise and he would let go. 

Instead, she pulled their connected hands and rested his on her waist. And then she waited. 

He wanted to say something. To explain what was happening and that he was in love with her and that he’d been an idiot to think he wasn’t and that he didn’t want to be just her best friend anymore. 

He wanted to say all of that, but instead he kissed her. 

His lips found hers very easily, as if they were meant to, and the hand on her waist tightened. Her hands were on his chest and it was then that he realised she was kissing back. She was kissing back. His other hand found the back of neck and into her hair, wanting her impossibly closer. And so they stood in the doorway, kissing until they couldn't take it anymore, and had to pull apart. 

Neither of them said anything - just sort of stared at each other waiting for the other one. 

Then she smiled.

And he smiled too. 

Of course. _Of course._

**Author's Note:**

> i'm still getting in the groove of writing these dorks so sorry if this wasn't perfect but i hope u enjoyed it nonetheless! desperate for the canon kiss that will hopefully be coming our wayyyyy soon


End file.
